Celebrating 38 Years at Bits and Pieces – 10 Fun Facts
In celebration of our 38th anniversary of creating jigsaw puzzles, games, and other unique gifts for people around the world, we’ve put together our top-10 “Did you know…” fun facts about Bits and Pieces.
Our roots stretch back to the print media days of magazines, newspapers, and brochures. Mail-order catalogs helped bring our puzzles and other brain teasers into people’s homes, while artist’s work contribute to this day to the classic designs of our popular jigsaws. We’ve grown and changed a lot since then, but we’re proud to continue in such a fine tradition of puzzle making and bringing people together through engaging games.
And by the way, if you’re feeling nostalgic or prefer to see things on paper in person, you can still order our catalog for free! It’s a silly thought now, but we barely would’ve dreamed of reaching people in such a way—through the internet—back in 1983, which was, coincidentally, the year the internet officially launched.
In the article below, we’ll be counting down 10 fun facts and slices of trivia about Bits and Pieces. And don’t forget to check out our 38th anniversary web exclusives for deals on jigsaws, puzzle accessories, and other festive gifts!
10. Puzzles Can Be Preserved
Many people may not realize that you can preserve your favorite puzzles once you’ve finished putting them together! Simply take some of our non-toxic, quick-drying puzzle glue and spread it evenly over your jigsaw for a smooth, glossy, and secure finish.
Once dry, your puzzle is ready to be displayed! Many puzzlers who’ve spent hours on large, difficult, or scenic jigsaws may even wish to hang their masterpieces on the wall using a dedicated puzzle frame. Do you save your completed puzzles?
9. The Neuschwanstein Castle
Over the last 30 years, one of our most-loved and repeated catalog covers was of the 19th Century Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Besides being a breathtaking photograph from the sky, this Bavarian castle was featured on our 12,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Talk about a challenge! Should we bring it back?
8. Sister Companies
In 2009, we joined forces with Spilsbury Puzzles to double the puzzling fun and create even more unique, elegant, timeless, quirky, and beloved puzzles for adults and kids alike. Today, we’re still going strong as sister companies!
7. The 18,000 Piece Puzzle
In case you haven’t guessed, based on #9 above, we love large jigsaw puzzles. Believe it or not, we once sold an 18,000 piece puzzle measuring nine feet by just over six feet. (Don’t ask us how long it took to complete!)
The design? A combination of four John Sloane Art paintings of American countrysides in each season of the year. John Sloane’s artworks feature prominently on a number of puzzles at Bits and Pieces, reflecting the unspoiled beauty of the natural world.
6. Pizza Pie Puzzles for Over 37 Years
In 1984, a group of pizza pie and puzzle enthusiasts in Brookline, Massachusetts combined their love of these two time-honored items to do something unheard of. The group baked real pizzas for a photoshoot, helping to create our famous Pizza Pie Collage Puzzle. This round and tasty-looking jigsaw has inspired generations of puzzlers over the years and remains, to this day, a popular undertaking! Choose from our 300 piece pizza pie puzzle and 1,000 piece collage.
5. The Certificate Challenge
Some particularly difficult Bits and Pieces puzzles deserve recognition upon completion. In 1993, we offered three different Certificate Challenge Puzzles—Purple Passion (a circular, all-purple jigsaw), Red Menace, and Crazy Daisies. Customers up to the task could mail us a photograph of their finished puzzle from one of the three to receive a signed certificate of completion. Think we should bring this back?
4. Guinness World Record-Breaking Art
Okay, we don’t hold any Guinness World Records (yet), but one of America’s most popular artists who designed our very first jigsaw puzzle sure does—Jane Wooster Scott! Jane holds the Guinness Book of World Records award for being the most reproduced artist in America. Her prized paintings have hung everywhere, from in rooms at the White House to the homes of celebrities like Arnold Schwartzenegger.
At Bits and Pieces, her rendition of skiers and the skyline of a snowy New York City served as the image on our first jigsaw puzzle—“Cross Country in Central Park.” While it’s not currently available at the time of writing this article, “Cross Country in Central Park” paved the way and set the tone for future generations of breathtaking puzzles at Bits and Pieces.
3. Before There Was Tik-Tok…
Before the days of social media contests, Tik-Tok trends, and even email, we offered customers another fun challenge. Readers of our print catalog were to turn to a specified page, cut out and assemble the paper pieces of a puzzle (a challenge in itself), identify which catalog item the “puzzle corner” corresponded to, and then mail us their results.
Winners of this challenging brain teaser would receive a custom brass pin the shape of a jigsaw puzzle piece. Do you have one of these pins? What other unique puzzle-related challenges do you enjoy?
2. The Evolution of Giraffes
When it comes to puzzles for kids, our famous wooden alphabet giraffe puzzle has seen a lot of love during the past 37 years of its circulation. This wooden giraffe has steadily evolved from 1984 up to 2021, as we added colors, letters, and numbers to make it even more engaging for young puzzlers.
1. The Great International Puzzle Store
Bits and Pieces puzzles hasn’t always gone by such a name. Did you know that we were originally called “The Great International Puzzle Store” in our 1983 catalog? We may have changed names and grown to produce millions of puzzles since then, though we’ve remained your puzzle authority every step of the way.
Wrapping Up
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about Bits and Pieces puzzles over the years in celebration of our 38th anniversary! Whether you’re a long-time puzzler or are new to the world of jigsaws, we’re thrilled to have helped bring entertaining, engaging games into so many people’s homes since 1983. Shop our complete collection of jigsaw puzzles online today, and check out our blog for more fun facts, puzzling tips, ideas, and inspiration.